Method of producing designs on tile



Oct. 6, 1931. 1.. v. 'SOLON 1,826,262

METHOD OF PRODUCING DESIGNS ON TILE Filed March 16, 1929 INVENTOR LEO/V V. 50 M ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 6, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEON V. SOLON, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 ROBERTSON ART TILE 00., OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY METHOD OF PRODUCING DESIGNS 0N TILE Application filed March 16, 1929. Serial No. 347,532.

The present invention relates to ceramics and has for an object to develop an improved tile and an improved method of forming a design on a tile.

The invention provides a method whereby the glaze such as is ordinarily applied to tiles of the type usually finished in one solid color can be so applied as to provide an attractive shading of the effective colors of the finished tile.

The nature and objects of the invention will be better understood from a description of a particular illustrative embodiment thereof for the purposes of which description reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and in which Figure 1 is a face view of a tile made in accordance with the present invention, and

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the same taken vertically through the center of Fig. 1.

The tile shown is a v lazed tile of any desired color, such, for example, as a light grey, pale green or pink. A colored glaze of a different shade from that of the surface of the body of the tile is so applied to the tile that in the finished tile it will be relatively thin on certain portions of the surface and relatively thick at other portions with a gradual variation between to afiord the desired design.

The shading which provides the desired effect is produced by forming the face of the tile with undulations consisting of surfaces angularly related to each other and meeting to form ridges and grooves. In the selected embodiment shown, the surfaces are plane with one series of surfaces, as at 5 parallel to each other and at an angle to a second series of surfaces as at 6 which also are parallel to each other.

The glaze is originally applied uniformly. During the firing process the tile is in horizontal position and gravity causes the glaze in a state of fusion to accumulate in the grooves formed in the c ngles between intersecting planes inclined downwards and also tends to reduce the glaze thickness on the ridges formed by intersecting planes inclined upward and on the adjacent surfaces. By

calculation of angles of inclination in those planes which form the pattern, the thickness of glaze upon their surfaces is controlled, and as a natural consequence. its tonal strength is regulated. An attractive variation from a light color due to a thin coating on the ridges to a more pronounced color in the grooves is thus obtained.

If the body of the tile is a clear white and the glaze a light pink, for example, the high points where the glaze is thin would show relatively little color whereas the lower points where the glaze is thicker will show adeeper shade of pink, this deeper shade is indicated in the drawing by the closer shade lines.

By making the surfaces plane and at a slight angle to each other, as shown in the drawing the tile has much the appearance of a plane tile but with the striped cesign in a shaded color.

The foregoing description of a particular embodiment is illustrative merely and is not intended as defining the limits of the iuvention.

I claim:

The method of making tile which comprises forming a tile blank having an undulating surface, consisting of angularly elated plane surfaces, applying a glaze evenly over the surface of said tile, firing the tile, and main taining said tile with its glazed surface in a generally horizontal position during firing so that the glaze in molten state flows toward the lower parts of the surface to produ e a desired design.

In testimony whereof, I l ave signed my name to this specification this fourteenth day of March, 1929.

LEON V. SOLON. 

